


Serquel minific #SerquelPromptParty2020

by Makena90



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: F/M, relationship, serquel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:22:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26175664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makena90/pseuds/Makena90
Summary: Mini fic based on the topics chosen for twitter’s Serquel Prompt Party 2020. Topics:Day 1: DomesticDay 2: Red JumpsuitDay 3: JealousyDay 4: FamilyDay 5: EngagementDay 6: Free
Comments: 13
Kudos: 85





	1. Day 1: Domestic

He stared at the immense sea in front of his eyes, both hands inside the pockets of his white pajama pants. The water slowly started to acquire an orange shade, reflecting the colors of dawn; It was the first sunrise in their new house, on their new island. It wasn't Palawan, but it was as close as it could get. 

When they left Palawan to embark on Rio's rescue, Raquel couldn't hide her sadness about the fact that they would never be able to return to their home again. It had taken them a year to find the perfect house that offered them the privacy they needed without being extremely secluded, and she fell in love with it right away. They were about to celebrate their first year anniversary living in that house when Tokyo called and turned their world upside down. 

He was sad too, but he had learnt long time ago not to become attached to things or places. He had spent most of his life moving from town to town, which always meant having to reduce his belongings to the size of a suitcase. But it hurt him knowing Raquel was having trouble letting it go. So he promised himself he would try to find a new place that resembled their home in Palawan as much as possible, so that the whole situation would be easier on his family.

That's how they ended up in Nosy Be, Madagascar. Hours and hours of research led him to this new house. They still had to furnish and decorate most rooms, but the structure and surroundings were rather similar. And so was the sunrise and climate. He smiled, pleased with his latest achievement.

He didn't flinch when a couple of arms encircled his waist and a small warm body pressed up against his bare back.

"What are you doing up so early?" She asked in a soft voice, getting on her tiptoes to rest her chin on his shoulder. He placed both hands over hers.

"I wanted to see the sunrise." He turned his head to look at her and arched an eyebrow. "What are you doing up so early?" 

"Jet lag, I guess." 

"Come here" he said as he grabbed one of her wrists and drove her to the front so he could hug her from behind. As soon as his arms enveloped her body, she melted into his embrace, resting her head against his right shoulder. "Look at that..." he whispered in her ear, pointing at the thin yellow arch that was starting to peek behind the horizon.

She sighed, feeling peaceful at last. The first half of the year had been rather stressful, and she was looking forward to a new beginning, one that didn't involve heists or guns, but calm sunrises and lots of hugs.

He absentmindedly stroked her stomach as the sun slowly rose above the soothing waves; the soft satin robe she was wearing over her black nightgown felt amazing underneath his fingertips, and that feeling alone brought a smile to his face. The wait was finally over; they could be a "normal" family again.

"That was beautiful..." Raquel murmured a few minutes later when the warm shades of sunrise had faded into the bright blue color of the morning. He tightened his grip around her waist and planted a soft kiss on her neck.

"Almost as beautiful as you." He whispered. Raquel let out a loud chuckle and stroked his forearm in a grateful manner.

"That was quite cheesy, but I'll take it." He grinned against her skin before leaving another kiss on her shoulder.

"So, what do you feel like doing on our first day at our new house?" He asked gleefully, happiness written all over his face. She didn't have to think for long.

"Nothing." She turned around and clasped her arms around his neck. "Literally nothing. I just want to lay down on the couch and worry about nothing." He smiled, he also needed a day of just... nothing.

"Sounds good to me." She smiled, dragging her hands to the back of his neck to pull him down for a gentle kiss. He squeezed her sides as he pressed his lips against hers, prolonging the peck she meant to give him. "You know... there's just one thing we need to do before we start calling this place our home." She frowned, tilting her head.

"What thing?" He grinned as he clutched her waist and lifted her up in the air. Raquel's jaw dropped as he started marching towards the water with a mischievous grin on his face.

"No fucking way... SERGIO!" She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, glancing at the clear water below. "No no no, Sergio stop right now! It's too early, the water will be freezing!" She begged, searching his eyes. But he ignored her pleas and kept on walking.

Raquel yelped as he sank into the water, holding her tightly. Both their heads went under the surface. The water was surprisingly warm so she relaxed immediately, allowing her body to sway with the coming waves. She gasped when Sergio lifted her back to the surface. Her arms immediately found their way around his neck while he ran a hand over her left check, pushing back a few strands of her hair that had stuck to her face. She opened her eyes, and couldn't help but reciprocate his joyful smile. 

"Welcome home." He said gleefully. 

"You..." She shook her head, unable to suppress her smile "You love getting me wet, don't you?" Sergio grinned at the double meaning of her words.

"You have no idea how much." He pressed his lips against hers as she readjusted her legs around him, her robe and nightgown floating around. He moved his hands to her thighs, keeping her in place as she deepened the kiss. The waves kept pushing him towards the shore, and he let their motion guide him until the water was low enough to lay her on the sand. 

Kneeling over her, he placed a hand on the sand to support the weight of his own body while he cupped the back of her neck with his other hand, savoring her mouth thoroughly. The breaking waves soaked their bodies every time they reached the shore, but they were too invested in the kiss to even bother.

"Mmmh..." she purred when his lips traveled down to her collarbone, nibbling at her skin there. "I've missed this." She muttered, sliding one of her hands down his bare back while the other remained on his neck for support. It had been way too long since they had been able to enjoy each other's company without worry clogging their minds, and each brush, each kiss or touch felt ten times more intense.

"Me too." He mumbled, sucking on her salty skin. Raquel moaned softly at the tickling sensation. 

Out of breath, he lifted his head in order to catch some air, but his eyes wouldn't leave her skin. The waves had opened her robe, exposing her rather revealing black nightgown, which was sticking to her figure, and he yearned to touch her. They had arrived quite late the night before, and by the time they were able to get into bed, they were both exhausted and already half-asleep. But now that he was fully awake, he couldn't wait to make love to her.

He slid his hand down her neck and cupped her left breast, giving it a gentle squeeze. Raquel sighed right before digging her fingers in the back of his neck to push him down for another hungry kiss.

"What are you doing?" They both froze at the sound of Paula's voice, their lips millimeters apart.

Sergio quickly removed his hand from Raquel's chest and placed it back on the sand. They lifted their heads at the same time to find Paula standing a couple of meters behind them, her head tilted to the side while she eyed them suspiciously. Sergio stuttered.

"We're playing." Raquel quickly said, letting go of Sergio's neck to support her upper body on her elbows.

"What are you playing?" Paula insisted. Raquel looked at Sergio, silently asking for help. He slowly shrugged.

"...Tickles?" He suggested in a timid voice. Paula's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Can I join?" She asked excitedly, but they had no time to reply, as Paula immediately ran and jumped onto Sergio's back and started tickling his armpits. 

"Hey!" exclaimed Sergio as he reached behind with a hand to try to tickle her back. 

Paula shrieked, holding onto his neck with one arm while she tickled his only available armpit. Unable to resist the tickling sensation any longer, his arm lost strength, making him lose his balance. Raquel, who had been drooling over the scene, groaned at the heavy weight that had suddenly crushed her chest and laughed loudly. 

"Stop! You guys are squashing me!" She complained, half-laughing half-whining while the other two tickled each other.

"Mom, tickle him too!" Encouraged Paula. Raquel grinned at Sergio, who had lifted his head to beg her not to, and started to tickle his sides. He squirmed, mumbling something unintelligible while he tried to defend himself from both. 

"Go get his feet, Paula! He's very ticklish there." The girl immediately got off his back and ran towards his feet, which were slightly underwater. He placed both hands on the sand to lift his weight off Raquel.

"Hey, that's no fair! It's two against one!" He complained, moving his feet away from the girl.

"One and a half!" replied Paula.

"Your height doesn't matter, it's all about hand count, and right now it's four against two." He looked down, frowning, when Raquel pinched his sides.

"Stop complaining and surrender." She muttered, biting her lower lip as she moved her hands downwards to tickle his hipbones, which she knew were his weak spot. He narrowed his eyes as he squirmed again; the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt played to their advantage, and when Paula managed to trap one of his feet and started tickling it with her nails, he knew he had lost the battle. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight back a little longer.

"Alright, alright, alright! I surrender." He moved aside and lay flat on his back, exhausted, while Raquel and Paula celebrated their victory with a hug.

"We did it!" Said Paula triumphantly. Her daughter's momentum made Raquel fall back onto the sand.

"Yeah, playing dirty..." Sergio mumbled.

"Oh, shut up." Raquel reprimanded him as she brushed back her daughter's messy hair with both hands. Paula smiled when she felt her mother's lips on her forehead.

"You're such a sore loser, Sergio." Added Paula. He opened his mouth, about to give a solid argument about fair play, but he decided against it after meeting her warm eyes. 

"I may be. Yes." He conceded. 

"Next time we can play something you're good at." Her suggestion melted his heart and left him speechless. He nodded his head.

"That would be great. Thank you." The girl gave him a smile before resting her head on her mother's chest and closing her eyes.

Sergio took the opportunity to divert his eyes towards Raquel, who was staring at him with a peaceful smile across her face as she aimlessly caressed her daughter's back. His heart skipped a beat; he had to admit he had a soft spot for those mother-daughter moments he had been able to witness along the past three years, and hoped to witness many more in the future.

There was only the sound of waves as they gazed into each other's eyes, smiling. Trapped by her charming smile, he couldn't believe there was a time when he was afraid of voicing his feelings for her. Because he did love her, more than he thought he was capable of. The feeling was so strong that words failed to appropriately convey what was happening within his body, but those three words seemed to be enough for her. So he moved closer and planted a soft loving kiss on her left cheek. 

"I love you" he whispered near her ear before leaving another light kiss on her shoulder. A rush of happiness ran through her body, and she waited for him to lift his face to say it back.

"I love you too." She murmured back with sparkling eyes. Sergio smiled softly before leaning in for another kiss.

All three of them were dripping wet when they returned to the house a few minutes later. Marivi brought her hands to her face, grimacing at the mess they were making, and immediately chased after them with a mop, drying the trail of water they were leaving as they walked to their respective bedrooms. Then she offered to prepare something for breakfast while they got rid of their wet pajamas and had a shower.

"Did I hurt you before?" Sergio asked concerned as he watched her slide the sponge over her small round belly. 

"Not at all." She looked up and gave him a relaxed smile. "We are both fine."

"Good." He smiled back as he continued shampooing her hair. 

"Although you did crush my boobs." She added in a chuckle. He couldn't help but direct his eyes towards her breasts, which were fuller and perkier than usual because of the pregnancy. 

"Well, they don't look crushed to me at all." She laughed and then bit her tongue, enjoying the way his eyes were admiring her naked body. She so wanted for him to put his hands where his eyes were, but she knew they didn't have time for that. He seemed to have the same idea flying around his head, as he stopped moving his hands altogether and his eyes were still fixed on her chest.

"Sergio." He snapped at the sound of her voice.

"Right!" He said as he started moving his hands again. His reaction made her giggle. 

"There's just no time for that now..." She explained.

"I know, I know." 

He continued massaging her scalp for a few more seconds and then asked her to turn around as he grabbed the shower head to rinse her hair. When he was done with her, he did the same with his own hair while Raquel stepped out of the shower to wrap a towel around her hair. She grabbed another to dry her body with. 

When Sergio came out of the shower, she opened her towel for him and he gladly walked into her arms. She wrapped the towel around both their bodies as they hugged. She didn't care that she was getting wet again, she just loved the feeling of his naked body against her own skin. She sighed, feeling relaxed, while he caresses the small of her back through the soft fabric of the towel.

"Thank you." Raquel murmured, resting her head on his chest. Sergio arched an eyebrow seemingly surprised by her words.

"For what?"

"For everything you've done to get us here." She looked up to meet his eyes and smiled. "I think we are gonna be very happy in this new house." He smiled back, pleased. 

"I really hope so." 

When they left their bedroom, fifteen minutes and a few smooches later, Paula was already sitting at the table, biting into her second piece of toast.

"Mom, can we open the boxes after breakfast?" Paula asked as they took seat across from her. The girl pointed at the pile of boxes they had had shipped to their new address and that now occupied most of their new living room.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Yay!" Paula exclaimed excitedly.


	2. Day: Red Jumpsuit

As Raquel had promised, once they were done with breakfast, the four of them moved to the central couch to open the boxes. None of them had tags or names written on the cardboards, as one of Sergio's men had been in charge of packing their things for them, so it somehow felt like opening presents on Christmas Day. 

"My clothes! Finally!" exclaimed Marivi joyfully. "I'm so sick of wearing the same two dresses every other day. I'm gonna put this in the washing machine right this moment." She excused herself and took her box to the laundry room. 

"What is this?" Paula asked as she pulled out a red fabric out of another box she had opened. Raquel recognized it immediately.

"Oh, that's my jumpsuit."

"You kept it?" Sergio asked with a frown.

"Not the one I wore inside the bank..." She had to discard that one when they had to stage an accident in order to leave Spain unnoticed. "This is the one I tried at the monastery," -and secretly hid in her luggage-.

"But why?" Raquel shrugged.

"I like it."

"Raquel, it's an incriminating piece of evidence." She tilted her head.

"More than our own faces?" Sergio stuttered, lacking an argument. "Besides, it's not like I plan to wear it out in the open." Sergio arched an eyebrow, intrigued. 

"What does "incriminating" mean?" Interrupted Paula. 

"Something that can get you in trouble." Raquel explained as she stroked her daughter's back. She then grabbed the jumpsuit and put it back inside the box. "So this box is clearly mine. Bring that small one over there, I think it may be yours." Paula stood up and pushed it towards the couch.

"My art supplies!!!" She exclaimed as soon as she ripped it open. "Can I go draw??" She asked excitedly. 

"Don't you want to check the other boxes first?" 

"Nah, maybe later." Paula skipped to her bedroom, carrying her art supplies with her. Raquel let out a helpless chuckle as she looked at the other boxes, and then turned to Sergio.

"Do you want to continue or shall we leave it at that?"

"Let's continue, the sooner we get these boxes out of the way, the better."

They spent the rest of the morning sorting out clothes and making piles with them, which they later put in the washing machine, one pile at a time. They also cleaned the few objects they had decided to keep, as well as Paula's toys, and set them aside in a spare room so they could find them a new place once they had furnished every room.

They had a little break at lunchtime, and then continued washing, hanging and folding their clothes. It was 5pm when they finished hanging up the last pile.

"So much for doing nothing on our first day..." Raquel said as she flopped onto the couch, feeling drowsy; the pregnancy was draining her energy twice as fast those days.

"I know, right?" He sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

Raquel immediately curled up against his body, resting her head on his shoulder as she hugged his torso, and closed her eyes. He smiled, feeling lucky to have her by his side, and carefully leaned his right cheek on top of her head. 

He stroked her right arm slowly as his mind drifted back to the heist. Those awful months of fights and fears. He had been so close to losing her that there was not a single day he didn't stop to appreciate how lucky he was that everything turned out fine. Because the outcome could've been very different. 

Even to this day, he had no idea how they managed to get away with it. The odds had been against them towards the end, but then, a last strike of luck allowed them to escape the bank and now they were there, cuddling on the couch, as if none of it had happened. He didn't believe in God, but he was sure his father and brother had something to do with it.

He gulped; it had been months since the end of the heist, but he could still feel the anguish of those days crawling under his skin; he could hear the shots that had supposedly killed her, the uncertainty leading to her rescue, and then the excruciating fear of her getting injured or killed inside that bank. He tried to avoid those thoughts, but they crept into his mind from time to time, reminding him of his many mistakes.

"About that jumpsuit..." he broke the comfortable silence. Raquel looked up.

"What?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to keep it." Raquel rolled her eyes.

"Sergio... nobody will know, and It's just a jumpsuit..." 

"It's not about that." He looked down, gathering some courage to express those feelings that kept haunting him. Raquel sat up and fixed her eyes on him, trying to understand why he seemed anxious all of a sudden. "It's just that... that heist has been the scariest experience of my life and... I know it sounds ridiculous but... seeing that jumpsuit reminds me of the fact that I almost lost you. And I don't want to be reminded of that. Because I already do think about it every single day." 

"It's not ridiculous." She whispered as she lifted his head to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry... I didn't know you still felt that way." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "But, honey, I'm here, and I'm fine. More than fine, actually. And so are you, we are safe." She gave him a warm smile. "I know it's not easy, but you need to start letting go of those thoughts. You did everything you could to keep us safe and it worked."

"I could've made you stay in Mindanao and you'd have been even safer." 

"Well, then you would have lost me for sure because there's nothing that I hate more than a man deciding for me." She said with sarcasm. She saw the hint of a smile on his face, which in turn made her smile. "But if it'll make you feel better, we'll throw it away. We said we would start over and we are gonna do so in every sense. We'll throw away everything that may be slightly related to the heist, okay?" 

"Thank you." He murmured, nodding his head lightly. It would be a long journey before he could push those bad feelings to the depths of his memory, but he was determined to go through with it.

Raquel rested a hand on his left cheek and turned his head towards her, meeting his lips in a soft, soothing kiss. When she moved away, a yawn pulled her lips apart.

"I think I'm going to take a nap before dinner..." he nodded in agreement.

"Do you want me to wake you up when dinner is ready?" 

"Sure, if you want to be bitten by a pregnant woman." He laughed loudly.

"I'll save you some then." She stood up and gave him a peck on the lips before retiring to their room. 

He was about to get up from the couch to go for a walk when Paula appeared in the living room. 

"Where is my mom?"

"She is taking a nap." Paula pursed her lips, then looked at him, tilting her head.

"Do you wanna see my drawings?" Sergio smiled.

"Of course." He made room for her on the couch and she took seat next to him. She showed him the many drawings she had made; some included animals, others had Disney characters on them.

"And... this is my favorite." He smiled at her enthusiasm. On the paper, there was a room with a jungle gym in the center and lots of toys around. The walls had rainbows and unicorns painted all over them. 

"What is it?"

"My bedroom. This is how I want to decorate it." She said proudly. He looked at the colorful room again.

"Oh... but where is the bed?"

"Right here," she said, pointing at a hammock she had drawn on a corner.

"You can't sleep on a hammock, Paula. You'll hurt your neck." She pouted.

"But I've taken naps on the hammock before and I've slept fine."

"I know, but a nap is not the same as a night long sleep. You'll be sore by the time you wake up." Paula dropped her arms, showing disappointment, which made Sergio a little uncomfortable. "How about we get you a bunk bed?" He quickly added. "There are some cool ones that even have slides and monkey bars attached." Paula opened her eyes widely.

"Really?" 

"Really. And the best part of all is bunk beds have two beds, so there will be another bed available for when your brother or sister is old enough to share a bedroom with." Paula wrinkled her nose.

"Do you know if there are bunk beds with just one bed?" Sergio chuckled. 

"You don't want to share your room, do you?" Paula shook her head.

"But maybe grandma does." She said hopeful. He smiled.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out when the time comes." He said, stroking her arm. "Now, would you like to help me prepare dinner?" 

"Don't worry about dinner, I'm on my way." Said Marivi as she crosses the living room on her way to the kitchen. He would have objected, but he had known her long enough to know that there was no turning back when Marivi got on stubborn mode. He looked at Paula.

"Well... any suggestions?" 

"We could draw something together." Her suggestion gave him an idea.

"Actually... Do you still have those fabric paints we bought back in Mindanao?" Paula narrowed her eyes. 

"I think so."

"Bring them, we'll make something special for your mom while she's sleeping." Paula smiled, excited, and ran to her room to get the materials. 

When Raquel woke up a few hours later, she found her red jumpsuit hanging from a wall hook in their bedroom. However, it was no longer plain red, but had colorful flowers and encouraging words written all over it. She smiled and bit her lip, getting teary-eyed. There was also a post-it note attached to the zipper that read: 

"Maybe throwing away isn't the only solution.   
We hope you like it.   
Love you,   
Sergio and Paula."


	3. Day 3: Jealousy

A month had passed since they had settled down in their new house, which was at last completely furnished and decorated. Raquel was approaching the end of her second trimester of pregnancy and her belly was more prominent and rounder than when they first arrived. Sergio found it fascinating how her belly seemed to have doubled its size overnight, and for the last few days, he could barely keep his hands to himself. He loved feeling her belly, rubbing it, kissing it. 

That Sunday afternoon, Raquel was sitting on the rocking chair out on the porch, reading a book, when Sergio appeared with a pair of headphones plugged to what looked like an old Walkman. The object caught Raquel's attention. 

"Where did you get that thing?" She sat up as she took the device from his hands to check it out. 

"On the street market. It works perfectly." 

"I had one just like this in my twenties." She said through a smile, handing it back to him with a bit of nostalgia. "Though mine had a huge sticker of Brad Pitt in the back." She added, giggling at the memory. 

"Who's Brad Pitt?" Raquel looked up, frowning.

"You don't know who Brad Pitt is?" Sergio shrugged. 

"Should I?"

"Haven't you watching "Interview with the vampire", "Seven", "Fight club"...?" He thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Doesn't ring a bell." Her eyes widened.

"I think we need to schedule a weekly movie night, you need to catch up on all the 90's masterpieces you've missed." she suggested before resuming her reading.

"Sounds good."

Sergio knelt down in front of her and Raquel automatically lifted her tank top, expecting him to rest his hands on her belly any moment, but, instead, Sergio opened the headphones as wide as possible and placed it against her skin. Raquel lifted her gaze from the book and arched an eyebrow, confused.

"What are you doing?" He smiled.

"Playing music for the baby. I've read classical melodies are good for their brain development."

"You really are doing your research, huh?" She chuckled; she had never expected him to be so invested in the whole pregnancy. And although it was a bit annoying at times, she was enjoying the extra attention.

"It is quite fascinating what's happening in there, I have to say." He had never been around a pregnant woman before -except for Alicia Sierra-, and the more he read about the whole process, the more he wanted to know. 

Raquel gave him a smile and relaxed, letting him do his thing. But then there was a kick, the strongest she had felt yet.

"Oh," She brought a hand to the left side of her belly, where she had felt the baby kicking and tilted her head. "I don't think the baby likes your music. He's started kicking." Sergio's eyes lit up and immediately placed his hand next to hers. He felt the next kick right in the center of his palm, and a warm sensation filled his stomach.

"Maybe she does like it and wants me to turn up the volume." Raquel laughed.

"So we are back to she?"

"Yeah, I've changed my mind and I'm 80% sure it is a girl." Raquel pursed her lips, trying to contain her laughter. 

"What are the evidences this time?"

"Well... you've been very sleepy lately. And I've read women carrying a girl are much more sleepy than those carrying a boy. Also, you keep having morning sickness, and that is more frequent in the second trimester when you're having a girl." He explained, pushing his glasses up his nose. Raquel smiled, finding adorable how he had even read about common myths related to pregnancy and baby gender.

"Last week you said it was probably a boy because my skin looked smoother..." 

"And it still does. But I have a feeling it may be a girl." He stated, stretching his neck. Raquel smiled. They could so easily end their debate by scheduling a sonogram to find out the sex of the baby. But they had chosen not to know. After all, they weren't planning on buying gender-specific clothing. 

"Well, I'm gonna stick with boy." She concluded.

"Good." He smiled back, rubbing her stomach gently. Unable to stop himself, he removed the headphones and leaned forward to rest his lips just below her navel. Raquel ran her free hand through his thick hair as he kissed her belly in the most gentle way. She sighed, loving the way his warm lips felt against her skin. 

"Hi there," Sergio whispered to the baby, leaving another butterfly kiss on her skin. To their surprise, the baby started kicking again, which made them laugh. 

"Paula, honey, do you want to feel the baby? It's moving." Raquel asked her daughter, who was doing a puzzle on the hardwood floor of the porch.

"No, thanks." She replied without even raising her head. 

They looked at each other, their smiles fading. They had noticed a shift in Paula's behavior the last couple of weeks. She was quieter than usual, and refused to play with Sergio. But her mood swing was more evident at night, when she would cry for no apparent reason and the only thing that seemed to calm her down was sleeping with her mother, so they had swapped rooms for a few days, hoping it would help. However, it only made the situation worse, as she barely talked to Sergio anymore and avoided him whenever he tried to approach her. They had started to suspect it had to do with the baby. However, whenever asked, Paula would deny it. 

"Mom, can we go for a walk and watch the sunset from the big rocks?" She asked as she placed the last piece of the puzzle. Raquel smiled, glad that her daughter wanted to do something other than play by herself. 

"Sure." She put the book away and Sergio stood up to get out of her way. "Do you want to come?" She asked him sweetly as she rubbed his chest. 

"No!" Paula quickly objected, crossing her arms. "I don't want Sergio to come. Just you and I." 

Sergio looked down, visibly hurt by the way her daughter was treating him lately. She felt anger rising and she was about to scold her daughter when Sergio touched her cheek and made her look at him.

"It's okay," he murmured. "I'll be in the kitchen making dinner." He kissed her forehead before walking into the house.

Raquel bit her lip, worried; she knew it was bothering him more than he was showing, but she had no idea how to fix the problem, her daughter wouldn't explain what was going through her head, and forcing the conversation only drove her further away. 

"Let's go." She mumbled, holding her hand.

Her anger slowly melted away as they walked along the shore. Paula would stop every now and then to pick up a shell she had spotted in the sand and then continued skipping, never letting go of her mother's hand. She seemed happy at their new location, so Raquel couldn't comprehend what had made her change her attitude towards Sergio, who had always been beyond respectful with her.

She looked ahead, the rocks were still a long walk away and her body was too exhausted to get there and then make the way back. 

"Honey, do you mind if we watch the sunset from here? I'm a bit tired." Paula looked up and smiled.

"Okay." 

She let go of her hand as she sat on the warm sand, facing the sea. Paula knelt between her legs and pulled out all the shells she had collected along the way. She set them down in a row in front of her and smiled. 

"Which one do you like best?" 

"Mmmh... this one." Raquel said, pointing at a white shell with blue stripes. Paula handed it to her. "Thank you." 

"Which one do you think grandma would like?" Raquel smiled.

"She'll probably like any of them." Paula twisted her lips as she inspected every shell, then picked a purple one. "This one." She put it back in her pocket. "And this one for me." She said, picking up a small, orange one. 

"Are you gonna bring one for Sergio?" Paula lifted her head.

"Does he like shells?" 

"I'm sure he'll like it if you give it to him." She looked at the shells again and reluctantly picked a yellow one and put it in her pocket with the rest. Then she stood up and threw the remaining ones into the water. 

She returned to her mother and sat between her legs. Raquel wrapped her arms around her small body and squeezed her tightly as she kissed her temple, making her giggle. The sun had already disappeared between the trees they had behind, turning the sea in front of them a few shades darker.

"Honey... Can I ask you a question?" Paula turned her head and looked at her mother, hesitantly. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Okay..." She grabbed her hand, silently asking her to turn around. Paula obeyed but wouldn't look at her eyes, sensing where the conversation would go.

"You don't have to answer, but if you do, I'd like you to be as honest as possible with me." Paula nodded, mumbling a shy ok. Raquel took a deep breath as she placed her daughter's hair behind her ears, waiting for her to meet her eyes. "Has Sergio said or done anything bad to you?" She asked when she did. Paula shook her head and Raquel let out a sigh of relief. "Then why are you being so rude to him lately?" Paula shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her own knees. "Are you upset because we are having a baby?" She shook her head again. "Then?"

"I don't like that he's spending so much time with you..." she admitted in a low, almost inaudible voice. Raquel frowned, that was certainly not the answer she was expecting.

"What do you mean?"

"He's always around when we are playing, when we are talking, when we are eating... It's so annoying!" she complained, crossing her arms. "And on top of that he gets to share a bed with you. Why can't I?" Raquel chuckled; was she actually jealous? 

"But honey... Sergio is my partner... we are supposed to share a bed, and he can't just go away. Don't you enjoy his company anymore?"

"I do. But..." Paula looked down for the longest time and when she finally raised her head, Raquel saw tears in her eyes and her heart broke a little. "I'm scared that he'll take you away from me again." Her voice broke as she started sobbing. Raquel bit her lip, finally understanding what it was all about.

"Oh, honey..." she murmured as she wrapped her arms around her. Raquel hugged her and rocked her softly while she cried on her shoulder. "Sergio would never do such a thing, ever."

"But he did! You went with him and left me with grandma for a very long time. I thought you'd never return." She said between sobs. Raquel stroked her hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"I'm so sorry I left you for so long... You know we had to help a friend that was in danger and we couldn't bring you. I'd have loved to take you with me, but it was dangerous, you know that, right?" Paula nodded. "But I promise you it will never happen again. I will never ever leave your side, and if we do have to go somewhere, I'll take you with me, no matter where we go." Paula pouted, drying her tears with the back of her hands.

"Even if you get married?" 

"Of course, nothing will change if we get married."

"But I heard him say he would like to take you to some place for your mooniehon... just the two of you." Raquel let out a chuckle.

"Do you mean honeymoon?" 

"Yes, that thing." Raquel caressed her cheek with her thumb, erasing a new tear that had escaped through her eyelashes, although she was no longer crying.

"And do you know what that is?" Paula shook her head. "A honeymoon is a very very very short trip that a couple makes after their wedding, so they can spend some time together alone." She explained. "If we do get married, we would only be away for a very short period of time."

"How short?"

"Just a few days. Maybe a week." She watched her ponder. "We would be back before you knew it, and you'd be able to call me at any time of the day." She added. That last detail seemed to catch her attention. "Does it still sound scary?" Paula shook her head.

"But I still think he spends too much time with you..." She added shyly, playing with the straps of the bikini her mother was wearing underneath her tank top. Raquel couldn't help a chuckle, which made Paula smile at last.

"Are you jealous of Sergio?" She asked, poking her side playfully. Paula squirmed, laughing loudly.

"No, he's jealous of me! I was in your life before he came along." Raquel stopped poking her and smiled.

"You are absolutely right about that." She took a deep breath as she looked at her daughter's eyes. "Tell you what, we are gonna choose one day of the week just for the two of us. To do whatever you want and Sergio will stay away for that entire day. How does that sound?" Her eyes suddenly lit up.

"It sounds awesome!"

"Great. Then we'll do that." 

"Thank you." She murmured, wrapping her arms around her neck in a tight hug. Raquel returned the hug, burying her face in her daughter's neck.

"Now, do you think you could talk to Sergio and apologize when get home?" She asked as they pulled apart. "He's been very upset because you don't want to play or talk to him anymore..." There was guilt in her eyes as she nodded. "Good. Then let's go back before it gets too dark." They had missed the sunset, but neither seemed to care as they made their way back home, smiling and holding hands. 

That night, to Sergio's surprise, Paula asked to sit next to him at dinner, and when it was time to go to bed, she grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom. She sat on her bed as she pulled out of her pocket the shell she had picked for him. 

"This is for you." Sergio sat next to her as she dropped the little shell onto his hand. A small smile appeared on his face. 

"Thank you. It's beautiful." He closed his fist so he wouldn't lose it and waited for her to speak. They had talked over dinner, and she had already apologized, but there was something in the way she was looking at him that told him there was more to come. 

"Are you still mad at me?" Paula asked shyly, tilting her head.

"Of course not. I never was." A genuine smile appeared on the girl's face. He was about to smile back when he felt her small arms around his waist. It took him a second to register what was going on before he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her small frame too. Even after three years, he still wasn't used to those signs of affection.

"I love you so much" Paula whispered, hugging him tight. Sergio froze, taken aback, but then decided to fight against his own awkwardness and express his feelings too.

"I love you too." Paula timidly looked up. 

"Will you still love me when your baby is born?" He gave her a soft smile as he stroked her hair.

"Of course I will. I may not be your real father, but I do love you as if you were my real daughter. And the fact that your mom and I are having a baby won't change that. Ever." Her blue eyes shone, pleased with his words, before she buried her face in his chest, hugging him again. He caressed her back lovingly while he stared at the shell in his other hand, a shell he would keep on his desk for years to come.


	4. Day 4: Family

She was uncomfortable. Whether she was sitting down or lying on the bed, she was beyond uncomfortable. Her lower back ached in every position, and she could feel the increasing pressure on her lower belly, reminding her that birth was just around the corner.

She paced around the room, glaring at Sergio, who was sleeping peacefully on his side of the bed. She envied the way he could sleep without a care in the world, while she had to carry around that watermelon of a belly, unable to take even a five-minute break. She secretly wished she could take off her belly for just five minutes, take some deep breaths and then put it back on. Just for five fucking minutes. When her legs could no longer hold the weight of her body, she returned to the bed and lay down on her side. She weeped out of exhaustion until she fell asleep.

She woke up again around 7am, alarmed by an intense cramp, which faded after a few seconds. But then there was a second one, just as strong, that lasted a little longer. It had been nine years since she had last experienced those pains, but she recognized them immediately: labor. Her due date was still a few days away, but she had no doubts the baby would be coming to the world that Friday.

She nervously patted Sergio's arm. 

"Sergio, it's coming." She groaned, shaking him until he stirred. 

"What's coming?" He mumbled in between dreams.

"The baby. The baby's coming." She breathed out.

Sergio suddenly sat up, looking around the room with wide open eyes. When he came to his senses and turned around to look at Raquel, she was sitting on the bed with a hand pressed to her lower belly. He blinked; he had been having dreams about Raquel going into labor for the last two weeks, so it took him a few seconds and a loud growl from Raquel to realize it was real.

"Are you sure?" He asked anyway. Raquel glanced at him.

"The fuck I am." He opened his mouth, blinking a few times. 

"I-I'll call Enna." He said as he grabbed his glasses from the bedside table and stood up. She nodded, gasping as the pain subsided. Enna was her midwife, a sweet Kenyan nurse that had been following her pregnancy ever since they had arrived to the island. 

When she found out she was pregnant, right in the middle of the heist, she knew it wouldn't be a normal pregnancy due to the unusual circumstances they were in. So they contemplated several options, like staying in a big city somewhere in South America until the baby was born, but that would mean Paula would have to attend two new schools in the span of a year. Besides, traveling for days on end with a baby wasn't the most idyllic thing in the world. So they decided to continue their journey to their new home in Madagascar and evaluate their options from there.

In the end, Raquel decided to have a home birth. Her mother had done it; many women still did it, and the idea of giving birth at a hospital where nobody spoke her language did not appeal to her at all. So, after much consideration, they both agreed that a home birth was the safest option. But now that she was hours away from giving birth, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. She closed her eyes and focused on her own breathing to prevent her mind from revisiting those negative thoughts. Everything will be fine, she repeated mentally.

"She says she'll be here in 15 minutes." Sergio informed after hanging up. Raquel nodded, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her teeth as another contraction shook her body. Sergio quickly approached her and sat next to her. 

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked, rubbing her lower back to ease some of the pain. 

"I need to change." Raquel answered once her internal muscles had relaxed again. He immediately stood up and grabbed her forearm to pulled her up. She noticed his hands were trembling and looked up. "And calm down. I need you to be calm throughout the whole thing." She asked. Sergio pushed his glasses up his nose and nodded, breathing deeply to gain control over his trembling limbs. 

She raised her arms as Sergio lifted her nightgown over her head. He then took off her underwear and handed her a light bathrobe. She sat on the bed again. 

"I'm gonna call doctor Petrov to let him know he should be on call."

"Okay." Raquel nodded as she lay on the bed sideways. 

Sergio had flown his trusted doctor to the island when she entered her ninth month of pregnancy. He was staying at an additional cabin they had had built in their property for future visits, so that he could be close enough and ready to intervine in the event of an emergency.

"What should I do with Paula and your mother?" He asked, stopping at the door of their bedroom. She pondered for a few seconds; she would love for her mother to be by her side when it was time to push, but her disease had made her reactions unpredictable, and the last thing she needed was more stress over her shoulders.

"Tell them I'm sleeping in today and let them go on with their routine. I don't want them to get anxious or be waiting around all day." Sergio nodded in agreement.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." As soon as he left the bedroom, he made a call to doctor Petrov and then ran to the kitchen to prepare something for breakfast. While the two woke up and got dressed, he arranged for Marivi's caretaker to drop off Paula at school on their way to Marivi's memory training class.

"Why are you not eating anything?" Paula asked him as she followed him with her eyes. He kept walking from one side of the kitchen island to the other, unable to control his nerves. "Sergio!" He stopped at the sound of Paula's voice and looked at her, processing her question with a few seconds of delay. He adjusted his glasses, stuttering.

"I'm sorry. I'm... not hungry yet." He forced a smile. He then looked at his watch, why was Enna taking so long?

"Are you alright, m'hijo?" Marivi eyed him suspiciously as she took her dishes to the sink.

"Yeah, yeah... I just don't want anything to disturb Raquel's sleep." He made up. "She hasn't been sleeping much lately and she needs a good rest before the baby comes." Marivi gave him a smile as she brushed his arm tenderly. 

"Don't you worry, we'll be gone in a few minutes." She winked an eye at him, which made him wonder whether she had sensed something. "Everything will be fine." She added in a whisper, squeezing his hand. He smiled back, glad that the disease seemed to have taken a break that special day. 

"I really hope so." She squeezed his hand once more before urging her granddaughter to finish her breakfast.

He let out a sigh of relief as he watched them get in the car and wave goodbye. As soon as they were out of sight, he rushed back to the bedroom. He found Raquel pacing around the room, a hand under her belly and the other on her lower back.

"They are off. How are you feeling?" He asked as he closed the door.

"Not good." She managed to say before another contraction forced her to bend over. She grabbed onto the edge of a nearby chest of drawers and closed her eyes as she counted the seconds til the pain faded. Sergio stood next to her, his face wrinkled in a frown of deep concern while he tried to hold her up by the arm.

37, 38, 39... gone.

"Where is Enna?" She asked, breathless. 

"I don't know... should I call again?" She shook her head, licking her lips as she turned to him.

"No, it's okay."

"Let's sit down." He suggested as he intertwined his fingers with hers and guided her to the bed. He gathered all the pillows and placed them against the headboard. He then helped her to sit down while she slowly raised her legs to the bed. "How far apart are the contractions?" He asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Four minutes."

"Four minutes???" He thought of the time Alicia went into labor in the middle of the heist; he remembered the endless hours of screams and pain, and how her contractions got more frequent towards the end, many hours later. Raquel's labor seemed to be going much faster in comparison.

"Yes, four minutes. Don't make me more nervous, Sergio." She reprimanded.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You are doing great, cariño." He said as he moved closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She closed her eyes, resting her sweaty forehead against his lips. He kissed it softly, stroking her belly in the gentlest way. "Remember Enna said the baby is in the correct position, and you are a strong woman... you are capable of this and much more. Everything will be fine." He reassured her in a murmur. She focused on his voice as she breathed in and out at a steady rhythm. But pressure began to built again in her lower belly and she arched her back, feeling extremely uncomfortable. 

"I can't sit down, I need to walk." 

"Okay." He helped her up again and she stopped as the next contraction hit. She held onto his shoulders, bending forward. It was the strongest contraction yet, and she tried not to fight back the pain, as doing so only made it worse. She felt a trickle running down her legs as the pain subsided.

"I think I just broke my water." She whispered, looking down at the floor where there was a small pool of clear liquid between her legs. He tried to swallow his insecurity, but everything was going way too fast, and if Enna didn't arrive soon, he would have to take action and he didn't know how. He lifted her chin to meet her eyes.

"It's okay. It's okay. Don't worry about it. Let's keep moving." 

He tried to gather more information from his only previous experience, but he didn't remember much else, as he had felt dizzy after accidentally catching a glimpse of Alicia's baby crowning away. Luckily, Marsella had been there to deliver the baby safely. He prayed for Enna to get there fast, because he wasn't sure he could assist Raquel the way Marsella had done with Alicia.

Fortunately, Enna arrived 10 minutes later, and she immediately set her things on a side of the room. 

"Oh, sweet Jesus, this baby sure is in a rush. You're almost there, my love." Enna said after doing a quick checkup. Raquel gave her a tired smile, feeling a bit more relaxed in her presence. "Let's get you in a more comfortable position, shall we?"

Following Enna's instructions, Raquel knelt down in front of the bed. She rested her arms and forehead on the edge of the bed while Sergio rubbed her lower back to ease some of the pain. In the meantime, Enna laid a bunch of towels on the floor and piled all the pillows up against the chest of drawers. After a while, she helped her sit in the most efficient position for the birth and then everything went faster from there: the contractions quickened, the gut twisting pain increased, and breathing became an arduous task for Raquel. Sergio stayed by her side, holding her hand and encouraging her to keep pushing. He let her squeeze his hand as hard as she needed. For all he cared, she could break his bones if she needed to, as long as it helped her relieve some of the pain.

"FUUUUUUUUUUCK. Sergio you'd better get your fucking tubes snipped right after this or else...." She clenched her teeth, unable to keep on talking, as her uterus contracted again. She pushed hard, groaning loudly. 

"Yes, yes, I'll do that, I'll do whatever you want. Just keep pushing!!"

"I can feel the baby's head. One more push, Raquel, and we are done." Said Enna. 

Raquel nodded, filling her lungs with air while she still could. Sergio brushed her sweaty hair off her face and kissed her forehead lovingly. Their eyes met as he pulled apart, and they shared a sweet smile, aware that, in a matter of seconds, their history together would be sealed forever with the birth of their baby. He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips. 

"You can do this." He murmured, giving her hand a squeeze. 

Raquel nodded and closed her eyes as she felt the tension building up inside again. When the next contraction hit, she pushed with every bit of energy left in her body, concentrating on the wellbeing of her baby. 

"It's coming, it's coming, it's coming." Enna announced at the sight of the baby's crown. She placed her hand below it and looked at Sergio. "Do you wanna do the honors?" She asked with a smile. 

He froze for a second, but then let go of Raquel's hand to kneel in front of her. He didn't think twice and positioned his hands the way Enna told him and followed her instructions.

Time suddenly stopped as he felt the weight of the baby on his hands. He blinked, feeling light-headed as Enna clamped and snipped the umbilical cord. He gazed in amazement at the small body of his... girl. A girl. He had a girl. With Raquel. He chuckled within a sob. Was she even real? He couldn't tell, as he was feeling a million things at once.

A loud baby cry brought him back to reality. She was real indeed. He lifted his eyes and looked at Raquel, who had her head resting on the pillows and was observing him with a mixture of love and relief as she caught her breath.

"Itagirl." He joked with tears in his eyes. Raquel chuckled, wiping her own tears with her indexes before extending her arms towards her baby. Sergio carefully placed their baby girl on her arms and the baby stopped crying almost right away.

"I'll leave you two alone while I prepare everything to clean her up." Enna announced after checking that everything was okay with Raquel. 

They both nodded and Sergio sat next to them, unable to take his eyes off their baby. He observed the thin layer of brown hair that covered her head; her chubby cheeks, her tiny nose, her small fingers... He counted them: ten. He did the same with her toes: ten as well. He smiled. Even with puffy eyes and newborn reddish skin, he thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

"Hi, sweetie." Raquel murmured, tracing the shape of her round face with a finger. She was sweaty, exhausted, sore... but she couldn't care less as she cradled her babygirl. 

Enna returned to take the baby to the bathroom to clean her up and check that she was completely healthy. 

"We have a baby..." Sergio mumbled, a bit in shock as he watched Enna walk away with her. Raquel smiled.

"We do." She touched his beard with the tip of her fingers, a clue for him to lean closer. They joined in a soft, long, heartfelt kiss. 

"I love you." He murmured, resting his forehead on hers. "You did an amazing job." Raquel smiled, kissing his lips again.

"So did you. You didn't even faint!" She joked, making him blush.

"I did not. I guess it feels different when it's your baby you're waiting for." He said through a smile. Enna returned with their baby a couple of minutes later.

"Born the 20th of November, 2020 at 10:11am. Weight 2.9 kg. Height 52 cm." She read on her notepad. "We are just missing a name." Enna said, raising her eyes. They exchanged a look.

"You decide." Raquel told him; with the help of their family, they had narrowed it down to two names per gender. He looked at his daughter, and one of those names popped into his mind.

"Julia." said Sergio. "Julia Murillo Marquina." Raquel smiled at him.

"Beautiful." Said the woman as she noted it down. 

Enna stayed throughout the morning, cleaning up the mess and assisting them whenever a question arose. Paula and Marivi arrived in the afternoon and both were beyond surprised and equally thrilled that the new member of the family had already been born. They all gathered around Raquel, quietly observing the baby sleep on her arms.

"Four women just for you..." Enna noticed. The girls giggled, making him smile.

"It's quite a blessing, actually." He said sincerely. 

"Shall we take the first family picture?" Enna suggested. They all agreed and position themselves facing the camera.

"Wait! We're forgetting Pickles!" Paula warned as she ran off to get the cat. She returned to her previous position.

"Alright, everybody look at the camera and... Cheeeeeeeeeeeeese." The flash went off, immortalizing their happiness forever.


	5. Day 5: Wedding (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!!
> 
> I know the Serquel Prompt Party is over, but I just can’t leave things unfinished, so here is Day 5 of the mini fic. Day 6 will be the second part of this chapter and I will post it some time this week.
> 
> Ps1: Rio doesn’t exist in this minific. He could have died during the heist or he left the band, that’s up to your own imagination.
> 
> Ps2: I’m not a big fan of weddings, in fact, I dislike them profoundly, so it was extra hard to come up with ideas for this. I hope my aversion to this theme isn’t palpable on this chapter 🙈 I swear I tried my best.
> 
> Without further ado, I hope you enjoy it.

"Fuck! The baby's crying, they're gonna wake up!" a male voice said.

"Hurry! Block the door!" Confused by the noise outside their door, Raquel turned to Sergio, who was also waking up at that moment. 

"What's going on?" He narrowed his eyes, hearing hard, but the voices had turned into whispers.

"I have no idea..." There was no doubt those voices belonged to Monica and Denver, who were in town visiting, but it was too early for them to be up already. Unless mischievous Cincinnati was acting up again; he sighed. "I'll go check." 

Raquel turned her attention to their baby girl, who was kneeling on her crib, holding onto the edge as she attempted to get up. A smile lit up her face, halting her crying, when she spotted her mother in front of her. 

"Good morning, sweetie" Raquel lifted her up and carried her to the bed with her. The baby latched on her breast as soon as she lowered the left strap of her nightgown. "Someone's hungry this morning, huh?" She told the baby, patting her diaper gently. 

She looked up when she noticed Sergio was having trouble opening the door. He gave up after the third attempt.

"Hey! What's going on out there!" He asked, knocking on the door impatiently, unable to hide his increasing annoyance. Instead of getting an answer, someone slid a note under the door. He glanced at Raquel, frowning, before picking it up.

"Sorry, we are preparing a surprise. We'll get back to you when everything's ready." Sergio read. Their eyes met again. "A surprise?" Raquel shrugged.

"Maybe they're making something special for breakfast, I don't know." Sergio rolled his eyes; he wasn't very fond of surprises, and he was starting to regret having invited them to their house. It would have been much easier for everybody if they had met in neutral grounds. "Relax, it can't be that big of a surprise, can it?" She said, extending her free arm towards him so he would return to bed. 

"I don't know..." he sat next to her, laying his eyes on his 6 month old daughter, "...these guys can have quite imaginative minds sometimes." He mumbled, watching his daughter nurse calmly. 

He soon forgot about the issue as he wrapped a hand around her little leg, stroking the sole of her foot with his thumb. A soft smile appeared on his face when the baby opened her big hazel eyes and glanced at him, smiling briefly. Every time those eyes fell on him, he felt a tug in his stomach, a sensation he could hardly put into words, as it exceeded every definition of love there was. 

"You're drooling." Raquel teased him, having witnessed the exchange of looks. His smile grew and he tilted his head as he moved his hand to the baby's face and caressed her soft cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Can you blame me?" He looked up at her, their faces inches from each other's. Smiling, Raquel shook her head as she leaned in for a kiss. Their lips brushed gently for a few delicious seconds. "Good morning..." he murmured as he pressed another kiss to her lips. 

"Morning..." Raquel whispered back, smiling against his insistent lips. She brought a hand to the nape of his neck, pushing him closer to trap his bottom lip and suck on it gently. Sergio hummed in return, pleased with the tickling sensation. He was about to deepen the kiss when the baby growled, demanding her mommy's attention in her particular language. They broke apart, laughing. Sergio squeezed her little leg.

"Do you also want a kiss?" He asked in a squeaky voiced as he leaned down to kiss her cheek but the baby lifted her arm, blocking the way. Sergio froze. "Well, I guess that's a no." Raquel chuckled at his dumbfounded expression.

"I've come to realize she doesn't quite like kisses during breakfast." Raquel said. "Speaking of breakfast..." she glanced at the door. "I hope whatever they are making is worth the wait, because I'm starving." 

As if on cue, the door opened and Paula entered the room carrying a tray with plenty of food. The door immediately closed behind her before either of them could take a peek outside.

"Good morning, here's your breakfast." The young girl announced, placing the tray at the foot of the bed. She then approached her baby sister and greeted her with a gentle kiss to her forehead. They shared a look of confusion.

"Honey, what's going on outside?" Raquel asked as nonchalantly as possible. Paula grinned.

"I can't say. It's a secret." 

"Cariño... I'm your mom... I thought we didn't have secrets." 

"But it's not my secret." She shrugged. 

Raquel twisted her lips, looking at Sergio, whose patience ran out. He got off the bed, determined to open that door one way or another, but Paula was quick to stand on his way, stretching her arms as far apart as possible.

"No! You can't go out!" Sergio looked down, frowning as he pointed at the door.

"Paula, if they are making a mess out there..."

"They aren't! I promise. It's something really fun." He looked at her for a few seconds before giving up. "Let's play something while you eat your breakfast!" She suggested as she placed both hands on his stomach and pushed a reluctant Sergio back to the bed.

An hour went by before another note made its way under the door. Paula dropped her cards and quickly jumped off the bed to pick it up.

"You may now leave the bedroom. Make sure you're wearing white clothes." She read, giving a jump of excitement.

"White clothes?" Sergio repeated.

"It looks like they've arranged a fiesta ibicenca." He rolled his eyes, annoyed, which made Raquel laugh. "C'mon, don't be such a party pooper. They are leaving in a couple of days, let them enjoy their stay."

"I'm letting them, but a fiesta ibicenca with four adults at 10am?"

"Stop complaining and go get dressed already!" Paula snapped. She walked up to her mother to hold her sister. "I'll give you five minutes." She concluded before sitting down on the floor to play with Julia. They exchanged looks of surprise but neither dared to add another word.

Raquel decided to wear a long flowy white dress with thin straps she had bought recently and hadn't had a chance to wear yet because it looked too fancy to wear it on her daily walks along the beach. Sergio, on the other hand, chose his usual white linen pants and a plain white T-shirt. Raquel was doing some braids on her hair when Sergio walked out of the bathroom. He froze on the spot when he saw her in her new dress. 

"Like it?" Raquel asked with a smirk, having perceived his reaction. He pushed his glasses upwards, nodding.

"It's nice." Raquel walked up to him and encircled his waist with both arms, looking up at him with a seductive smile.

"Just nice?" He licked his lips, placing his hands on her hips as he lowered his gaze.

"More than nice. It's..." he trailed off as he searched for her eyes. "It looks stunning on you." The corners of her lips curled up into a genuine smile.

"Thank you." She murmured, raising her shoulders as she pressed a kiss to his lips. She blindly looked for his hand and intertwined their fingers before pulling apart. "Let's go." 

Once they got Paula's approval, they exited their bedroom with a bit of reluctance. To their surprise, the living room was intact, except for a few signs on the hardwood floor that led them to the porch, and then to their private beach.

"What the..." Sergio muttered at the sight in front of them. 

On the sand, there were two lines of red petals forming an aisle that led up to a white wedding arch decorated with colorful origami figures. There were also a bunch of white chairs on each side of the aisle. Denver and Monica, who were placing little bags on each of the chairs, quickly approached their friends. 

"Who's getting married?" Raquel joked, looking at their fancy attires and the setting.

"You guys." Denver announced with his biggest smile. Sergio and Raquel frowned at the same time. 

"What?" They said at once.

"Well... you keep postponing the big day because of this and that, so we thought it would be a great idea to get you married this week as a surprise." Monica explained with a big smile of excitement.

"It is the greatest idea ever!" exclaimed Paula, who had followed them outside. 

"What?" They repeated, even more confused.

"You see... Do you remember that episode of Friends where Joey marries Chandler and Monica with a license he got on the internet?" 

"No." Sergio replied, clueless. Raquel brushed his arm.

"Honey... you really need to catch up on pop culture."

"Well, it turns out it is possible to get ordained online." Monica added gleefully. 

"Sooooo... you're looking at your new minister!" Denver intervened opening his arms, laughing in his peculiar chain-like way. They both remained silent, trying to guess whether their friends were serious or it was all part of a prank. "So, are you ready to get married?" He asked through a grin. Paula looked at them with big, hopeful eyes. Sergio awkwardly pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Are you guys serious?" He asked, looking at his surroundings, still dumbfounded.

"Do you think I would get up early and make those damn hard origami things just to pull a prank?" said Denver. Sergio looked at him, perplexed.

"No. Certainly not." 

"In my defense, it was Monica's idea. I couldn't care less about weddings." Monica pinched his arm, which made him groan loudly. "Hey!" Monica ignored him as she moved closer to her friends.

"I just... Well, I know how much of a burden planning a wedding is, and... since we were going to be here for a whole week, I thought it would be fun to give you a special surprise." She explained shyly. "What do you think, Raquel?" Monica asked her friend, hopeful. Raquel opened her mouth, but no sound came out for a few seconds.

"I don't know... this is just so... unexpected." 

"We know it sounds crazy and unexpected... but hey, you've come up with crazier plans." Denver added, pointing at Sergio. "And-and, everybody knows you've been wanting to marry her for like... forever, so we thought we-" He stopped talking when Monica grabbed his hand.

"Don't worry. We'll give you some time to think about it. Don't feel pressured because we arranged this." She said, having noticed their hesitation. She took him a few meters away to give their friends some privacy. 

"You're gonna say yes, right?" Paula asked with puppy dog's eyes, holding both their hands. They exchanged looks, opening their mouths despite not knowing what to say. Raquel stuttered, looking down at her daughter.

"Paula, will you give us a minute?" 

"Okay..." The girl immediately turned around, searching for Denver, who she had grown fond of over the past few days. 

Sergio held Raquel's hand, glancing at their surroundings once again; a chuckle left his mouth as reality sunk in. Their friends had actually planned their wedding without them knowing. And they had done a pretty good job, he had to admit. All those whispers between their friends and secret shopping trips with Paula started to make sense now. Raquel chuckled too, still in disbelief.

"This is... insane." She mumbled, glancing at her surroundings too before turning to him. Sergio gazed at her, a small giddy smile on his face; the initial shock had vanished and he was starting to feel a hint of excitement in his stomach. But he didn't want to get too excited, in case Raquel preferred a more thought-out wedding.

"What should we do?" He murmured.

"I don't know... This looks quite... beautiful." She didn't know what else to say, as she hadn't expected to wake up to her wedding having been planned for her. By her friends. On a random weekend. "I can't believe they did all this..." Raquel bit her lip, a million thoughts going through her head. She hadn't even thought about their wedding in a long time, as the baby and their new life had taken up most of their time. But now... 

"So... do you think we should go for it or...?"

"Well...They did a pretty good job... it would be a shame not to take advantage of it." His smile grew, making his eyes smaller. He brought her hands to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Raquel smiled in return. “Besides, I hate the idea of planning a wedding from scratch." She stuck out her tongue, faking disgust. Sergio took a step closer and cupped her jaw with a hand, his eyes shining with delight. 

"Does that mean you want to marry me?" His question triggered a shiver that ran down her spine. She licked her lips, getting rid of the remaining space between their bodies.

"Honey, I've wanted to marry you for a long time now." She murmured, leaning on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. He kept her there for as long as he could, and smiled as she pulled apart. He rested his hands on her neck, brushing her jawline with his thumbs. 

"Then let's get married." He murmured back. Raquel gave him a soft smile before raising her chin to meet his lips in yet another kiss.

“Is that a yes?? Do you guys accept?” Monica asked excitedly as she ran towards them. They laughed as they pulled apart.

“Yes.” They said at once.

"Oh, thank god!” A voice behind them exclaimed. They both turned around to find Tokyo walking towards them. Their jaws dropped as the rest of the band members appeared behind her. “I was ready to kick your hot asses if you guys cancelled the party." 

“What the-... You’ve been there the whole time?”

“Even longer. We’ve been here making origamis since 5am.” Said Manila.

"You didn't think we would miss the wedding of the century, did you?" Added Helsinki, approaching Raquel with his arms widely opened. 

“Helsin...” She mumbled, getting teary-eyed as his strong arms enveloped her in a gentle hug. Sergio cleared his throat. “Don’t be jealous, professor. I’ve got hug for you too.” Raquel chuckled, clutching Helsinki a little longer while the rest greeted Sergio.

“I can’t believe you all came...” said Raquel, looking at each of them over Helsinki’s shoulder.

"Of course! Even the new band member came." Tokyo pointed out.

"Don't you dare include me in your pathetic little band, I'm here as Marsella's plus one.” 

"Alicia!" Raquel exclaimed in shock, letting go of Helsinki. Her former friend was descending the porch steps holding her 1 year old son. "Wha- what the heck are you doing here?" She asked, perplexed. 

"She's part of the band now." Bogotá teased again. “We’ve named her Pyongyang.” There was contained laughter among the members.

"You call her that again and you are a dead man.” Marsella threatened, not moving a single muscle of his body.

“It’s okay, dear. I’m a bit Pyongyang after all.” Alicia said, stroking his arm. 

Raquel stared at them, dumbfounded. She knew he had helped deliver her baby, and that he had stayed with her while she recovered from labor. The last thing she remembered was that he had pretended to be her husband in order to help her flee the country under the Police’s radar. She had assumed they had parted ways after that, but that hadn’t been the case, apparently. Sergio seemed equally surprised.

“Are you guys...?”

“Yes, professor, they are fucking.” Tokyo cut him off. “You wouldn’t be so late to the party if you read our group chat from time to time.” She reprimanded. “I guess Lisbon keeps you quite busy in bed.”

“Not really. He only has eyes for Julia lately.” Raquel teased, earning a frown from Sergio.

“Oh my god, I had forgotten about the baby! Can we meet her???? I’m dying to meet her.” Said Tokyo, clapping her hands as she gave tiny jumps.

“Sure.”

“Hey, hey, hey. What about the wedding?” protested Denver, who was by the arch, memorizing his notes for the ceremony.

“How about we reschedule it for the afternoon? There’s lots to catch up on.” suggested Monica. They all agreed, except for Denver, who wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. He grumpily dropped his notes and joined the group.

“Let’s meet the intellectual baby!” shouted Tokyo excitedly as she headed to the house.

“Honey, would you mind...?” Raquel didn’t need to finish the question for Sergio to understand her request. He excused himself with a bow of his head, and followed the rest to the house. 

The two old friends were left alone, standing in front of each other. She silently observed Alicia; her hair was now shoulder length, with no bangs, and she had dyed it a darker red. It had been over a year since they had last been face to face, in much different circumstances, but she could sense Alicia had changed, or at least there was a warmth in her eyes that hadn’t been there the last time. She lowered her gaze to the child in her arms. 

“So... this is...?”

“Germán.” Alicia finished. Raquel smiled.

“Hi, sweetie.” The toddler buried his face in his mother’s neck, shying away from the stranger’s attention. Alicia rolled her eyes.

“He’s very shy.” 

“Just like his father.” Raquel pointed out with a soft smile.

“Yeah...” Alicia mumbled, stroking her child’s head. Her mind momentarily drifted back to her previous partner; she missed him.

“He’s adorable.” Raquel added to break the awkward silence. She then took a step back, narrowing her eyes at Alicia. “Should I be worried about you being here?” She asked with genuine concern. Alicia chuckled.

“Not at all.” Raquel let out a discrete sigh of relief. She knew her too well to know she would not waste her time pretending. “I’ve left my past behind.” She assured her. Raquel nodded her head, secretly feeling proud of her.

“Good.” Alicia looked away when her friend’s warm gaze started to overwhelm her. She kissed her son’s forehead instead. 

Raquel bit her lip, getting emotional. She wanted to ask her a million questions, but she didn’t know where to start. So she stepped forward instead, carefully wrapping her arms around her former friend.

Alicia stiffened for a second, surprised by her gesture, but then wrapped her free arm around Raquel’s waist, returning the hug. She smiled briefly.

“I’m glad you are here.” Raquel confessed, trying to conceal her emotions behind a steady voice.

“So am I.” Alicia replied, stroking her back. They remained silent for a moment, appreciating each other’s presence; they both felt lucky to have someone from their past in their present life. “Though I still can’t believe I came all the way here to watch you marry a criminal.” Raquel laughed at her remark, pulling apart.

“Well, to be fair, I didn’t know I would be getting married today either.” She joked as she dried a small tear that had managed to escape through her eyelashes. “But you are with a criminal now too, so you can’t judge me.” She added, pointing her finger at her.

“Unfortunately.” Alicia joked, making her laugh again. They sighed at the same time, feeling more relaxed. 

“Shall we join the rest?” Raquel suggested. She knew they still had many things to talk about, but she would make sure they had enough time for that after the celebration. “Maybe little Germán would like to meet Julia?” Alicia smiled, glancing at her son.

“Sure.” 

They turned towards the porch, walking side by side.

“You know... This is great and all, but we would’ve been better off if we had dated back in the academy after that one night.” Alicia half-joked. Raquel blushed slightly as she chuckled at the memory.

“Maybe we would’ve.” She agreed, nodding.

To be continued...


	6. Day 6: Wedding (part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this second part was extremely difficult with so many characters involved. Most are probably out of character, but I hope you still enjoy this chapter. Gracias eternas por vuestra apoyo. ❤️

"She has your dimples!" pointed out Tokyo, taping the baby's nose with her index.

Everyone was gathered around Sergio when Alicia and Raquel entered the living room. He was holding Julia, who giggled uncontrollably every time one of their friends spoke to her in a funny voice. 

"She's all Raquel, though." Monica added. Tokyo frowned.

"What? No way. She looks just like Sergio." 

"No, she doesn't." Helsinki disagreed. 

"You guys are blind." Tokyo picked the baby from Sergio's arms and lifted her so their faces were at the same height. Sergio rolled his eyes. "See? She has his lips, same nose, same eyebrow shape..." The baby kicked her legs, bitting her own thumb as she eyed the woman that was holding her up. Monica was about to object when Raquel made her way through the group.

"Alright, alright, enough with that." She took her daughter from Tokyo's arms and turned to Alicia to introduce their children. Everyone watched intently.

"Look, honey, a new friend came to visit." Raquel told her daughter in a soft voice.

To Alicia's surprise, her son didn't pull back when Julia reached out to touch his face. There was curiosity in his eyes instead, as if it was the first time he had been around a baby. The boy smiled when Julia babbled something, shaking her little arms energetically. He then offered her the stuffed animal he had been clutching all morning. 

Raquel and Alicia shared a smile.

"It looks like they may get along." Raquel said.

"Yeah..." Alicia extended her hand towards the baby and stroked her soft cheek with the back of her fingers. "Hi Julia... you're so cute." The group remained quiet as they watched the former friends interact with their children. "I hope you don't hate me in the future when you find out I almost killed your dad and sent your mom to jail... I swear I'm a good person." The band laughed at her comment, which made her roll her eyes. "I don't know why these fuckers are laughing, they are all criminals, did you know that?" Raquel tilted her head.

"Alicia..." The red-haired woman smiled softly.

"What? I'm telling the truth." She told her before addressing the baby again. "They are good criminals, though. Annoying as hell, but good." Some raised their brows and exchanged looks, surprised by her compliment, while others eyed her with suspicion. "I've always cared about your mommy, believe it or not. Your father on the other hand... well, I'm working on it." The band laughed again, including Sergio. Raquel grabbed her free hand and squeezed it in a grateful manner.

"This is lovely and all but can we get the wedding started before I forget what I'm supposed to say?" Denver complained, losing his patience. With a bit of reluctance, the rest of the group agreed with him.

...

Sergio and Raquel spent the next hour in separate rooms. The women had taken Raquel to Paula's bedroom to do her hair in a more sophisticated way while the men pushed Sergio to his bedroom to look for something nicer to wear.

"May I come in?" asked Marivi, peeking through the half-opened door of her granddaughter's bedroom.

"Of course! Come in." Replied Monica, waving her hand with a welcoming smile. 

The elder woman closed the door behind herself and approached her daughter, who was sitting down on Paula's bed and had her eyes closed as Tokyo applied some mascara on her eyelashes. 

"Done." The youngest said.

Raquel opened her eyes to look at her reflection in the mirror. She had gotten used to not wearing makeup, so she was worried she would look like a clown if she let her friend do her makeup, but Tokyo did a great job keeping it simple and natural. "Do you like it?" Raquel gave her a smile.

"I love it. Thank you." 

"So... we are done!" Monica announced with a clap of hands. "I'm gonna check with the guys to see if they're ready." Monica affectionately brushed Marivi's arm on the way out. 

"You look beautiful, mi amor." Marivi said as she stood in front of her daughter, who immediately held her hand. 

"Thank you, mama." Marivi glanced at the rest of the women in the room. 

"Do you mind if I have some minutes with my daughter?" 

"Not at all." They said at unison, and immediately exited the room, leaving them alone. 

Raquel observed her mother, whose eyes were fixed on her now wavy hair as her fingers gently touched the small flowers her friends had placed in her braids. 

"Are you okay, mom?" 

"I heard you are getting married today..." she said softly, sitting next to her on the edge of Paula's bed. "My memory must be getting worse because I don't have any recollections of you preparing the wedding." She lamented. Raquel tilted her head, smiling softly.

"That's because we didn't plan it. Our friends surprised us this morning... They arranged everything." Her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Oh! So I didn't forget?" Raquel smiled and shook her head, brushing her mother's back reassuringly. Marivi let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god. I thought I had forgotten your wedding day and I was feeling so miserable..." Raquel grabbed one of her hands and caressed it with her thumb.

"Don't worry. You didn't forget." She said giving her hand a squeeze. Marivi smiled, gazing into her eyes. 

"I'm so glad you are marrying this wonderful man." Marivi said, letting go of Raquel's hand to slide her fingers behind her daughter's ears. She cupped her face gently, gazing into her eyes with all the love she had for her daughter. "You deserve so much happiness."

Raquel bit her lip; the way her mother was looking at her right that moment reminded her of how she used to look at her before the disease blurred her personality. Memories flooded her mind and she started to well up. She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, and didn't open them again until the threatening tears dissolved.

"You know, mom... if it hadn't been for you, I would have never met Sergio." Raquel told her with a soft smile. Her mother dropped her hands.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah... You told me to open up to new people at a time in my life when I was completely lost... and I happened to open up to Sergio." She recalled with nostalgia. 

"I said that?"

"Well, to be fair, you told me I should sleep with a stranger. Have a little fling." She chuckled, blushing slightly.

"That sounds more like something I would say." Raquel nodded in agreement, smiling.

"So I owe this to you..." she murmured.

"No, mi amor. You owe this to yourself. You were the one who went ahead and did the hardest part of all: trusting a man again." Raquel chuckled. "I only gave you a small advice." Marivi added, stroking her cheek. Raquel gave her a smile, leaning her face on her mother's hand. "By the way..." Marivi initiated as she searched for something in the pocket of her pants. "I want you to have these." Raquel's eyes widened the moment she saw her parents' gold wedding bands.

"But mom... those are—"

"I don't need them anymore." She cut her off. "Your father passed away long time ago. Besides... soon I won't even know what they represent." She said, adding a chuckle, but it pained both of them to know her joke would become reality at some point. Marivi sighed. "So I'd like you to use them today and keep them." She said, placing them on her daughter's hands and closing her fist before she could object. "I may not have the best of memories anymore, but I can still tell when a couple genuinely love each other, and the way you and Sergio look at each other reminds me so much of your father and I... so there's no better place for those rings to be than your own fingers." 

Raquel lowered her gaze as she opened her fist, getting teary-eyed again. She pursed her lips, overwhelmed by emotion, and leaned in for a hug. Marivi wrapped her arms around her tightly, rocking her softly. 

"I love you, honey." 

"I love you too, mama... And thank you for these. We'll try to live up to what they represent." They kissed and hugged several times, and dried each other's tears. Then Marivi stood up, letting out a sigh.

"Now, can you help me find something to wear on your wedding?" Raquel smiled and stood up.

"Of course." 

...

Sergio paced from one side of the arch to the opposite, his bare feet kicking the warm sand with every step he took. He was nervous, the most he had ever been, and he didn't know why. That ceremony wasn't going to change a thing, since they already lived like a married couple, but still, he felt as if he was reaching the second most important milestone of his life. And he didn't want to screw it up with his innate awkwardness.

He dried with the sleeve of his suit a drop of sweat that was rolling down his temple. With the help of his friends, he had ended up choosing the beige suit he wore the day Raquel and he reunited in Palawan; he thought it would be a beautiful touch, but he was starting to regret his decision; its fabric was too thick, and the day was hot, making him extra sweaty. He grabbed the lapels of his jacket, and shook them to make the air flow.

"Jesus Christ, professor! Could you stop moving? You're making me nervous." Denver's voice made him stop in his tracks. He awkwardly adjusted his glassed with his thumb and returned to his spot. 

"Sorry." He apologized, slightly embarrassed. He then fixed his eyes on his feet as he attempted to clear his mind. It didn't work; he felt rather vulnerable standing there in front of everybody with no lesson to teach and no professor role to hide behind. This time it was just him, Sergio, in front of everybody, and that had always made him feel uncomfortable. 

He lifted his head the moment Helsinki started to play a soft melody in his harmonica, and all his thoughts and worries vanished when his eyes met hers across the aisle. There she was, beautiful as always, slowly walking towards him with the brightest smile on her face. He could feel his heart pounding, on the verge of bursting due to all the things she made him feel at once.

He got momentarily distracted when he noticed Paula in front of her, throwing petals from a little basket. He sent her a smile before focusing on Raquel again. His eyes watered and he chuckled, speechless. He even forgot there was a bunch of people watching them as he tried to memorize everything about that moment. Like the way her lips curled into the most beautiful smile, the way her blonde wavy hair fell over her shoulders, the flowers in her hair, the way her eyes shone, the joy she transmitted through them... he wanted to treasure every little detail forever. 

He held his breath as Raquel took the last step to stand next to him. Their hands sought each other without them realizing, and he couldn't help but look at her from head to toes, admiring the way her white dress adjusted to her figure so perfectly.

"Hi." Raquel murmured through a smirk.

"You look beautiful." He murmured back, making her blush, and pulled her closer to kiss her left cheek. Their friends cheered and made some inappropriate comments, but his brain didn't even register their words, as he was way too invested in the moment to care. After a few seconds of just staring into each others eyes, Sergio turned to Denver. "You can start now."

Denver nodded and cleared his throat. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He smiled awkwardly.

"I forgot how it went." He admitted, scratching the nape of his neck. The band rolled their eyes.

"Dearly beloved..." Monica, who was sitting on one of the front chairs, reminded him in a whisper. Denver nodded rapidly.

"Dearly beloved... we are gathered here today to..." Denver's voice faded in his head as he looked into Raquel's eyes, which looked clearer than usual due to the sun's bright light. 

His mind decided to take him on a trip down memory lane, to the first time he ever saw her in person, back when he still thought he was able to block his own emotions. 

He remembered feeling a tug in his stomach when she laid her eyes on him at that bar, but at that moment he didn't associate it to anything in particular, as he was too focused on establishing a connection with the inspector in charge. It became clearer the next time he saw her and she suddenly opened up to him, putting all her trust on him as she told him about her abusive exhusband. Something shifted within him that day, and even though, unbeknownst to her, he was challenging her and putting her career at risk, he promised himself he would try to cause her as little pain as possible.

He also remembered the conversation he overheard that changed it all, and the gasp he gave the moment he learned she was willing to sleep with him. That's when he realized he was feeling something for her. He couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, but he knew he would be screwed if he let it get out of control. 

But he did anyway, and he slept with her, and he fell in love with her, and he put his plan at risk by writing those coordinates on the postcards with the hope that she would notice them at some point and come looking for him.

And against all odds, she did. A year later. And she did not arrest him as he had feared. No. She stayed, and they talked, and they made love, many times, and they got to know each other deeply, like he had never known another person before.

More memories of the next three years together spiraled in his mind, making him aware of what a lucky man he was indeed.

Breathing deeply, he looked down at their joined hands, and promised himself once again to do whatever it'd take to keep that strong bond they had til the day he died.

"Oh, Cut the crap!" Tokyo's voice threw him back to reality. "We are here for the meat, skip all that nonsense about God and whatnot."

"Hey! The guests are supposed to keep quiet during the ceremony." Denver reprimanded. "I'm gonna read it as it is, okay? If you don't like it you can wait inside." 

"Idiot." Tokyo mumbled, crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes. He surged forward.

"What did you just call me?" Tokyo stood up from her chair on the second row.

"I - di - ot." She enunciated to his face. Everybody else immediately jumped into the discussion, some agreeing with Tokyo, others defending Denver's point, but all raising their voices unnecessarily high to make themselves heard. 

"Guys! Guys! Guys!" Sergio almost screamed, stretching his arms to the sides to separate them. Everybody became quiet after receiving an angry stare from Sergio. "Even on my wedding?" He asked. He got no answers, just evasive looks. "Can you behave for just a few minutes? You prepared all this, so you'd better behave yourself or I'm throwing you out of my house right this second. No exceptions." Shy apologies followed, and when everybody returned to their respective seats, Sergio asked Denver to continue. 

"Relax." Raquel whispered, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. His frown softened and he gave her a soft smile as Denver resumed his speech. The ceremony continued smoothly after that brief incident. 

"And now, we shall proceed to the vows..." Sergio turned his head to him, perplexed.

"The what?"

"The vows, professor. You have to tell her how much she means to you." Sergio touched his glasses apprehensively. 

"Like... in front of everybody?" Raquel giggled internally. "Can I... tell her in private later?" 

"Of course not!" Their friends complained. 

"C'mon, professor, don't be such a coward!" Bogotá shouted from the back. 

"Yeah!" The rest agreed. 

"We already know you're madly in love with her, you don't need to act so shy about it." Manila added. 

"How about I start?" Rachel offered, noticing his discomfort. Denver shrugged.

"Sure." He said, stepping back.

Raquel grabbed Sergio's other hand so he would turn to face her. She pulled gently when she noticed his eyes kept drifting in their friends' direction. Her warm gaze seemed to soothe some of his tension. 

"Sergio... cariño." She grinned when he pushed his glassed up his nose, overtaken by his shyness. She discretely winked her eye at him and he took a deep breath, trying to focus on her eyes only. "I think I've pretty much told you everything already... so I'm gonna take advantage of this moment to thank you, because I think I haven't done that enough." Silence grew around them. Raquel squeezed his hands. "I want to thank for pulling me out of the dark hole I was in when we met... Circumstances aside... You were the first person who truly stopped to listen to me when I most needed it. You made me feel heard, without judgement. And nobody had done that before. You believed me despite being total strangers... and made me feel like I mattered, that... that I deserved so much better. I was so emotionally damaged back then that I didn't believe you for a while; I wasn't sure I was worthy of a partner, or that I could trust a man again." She bit her lip, tilting her head. "But it always felt different with you. You made feel safe from day one. You made feel loved again." She sighed. "So thank you for listening to me that day. And for bringing light back to my life. You make me so damn happy." Sergio smiled with tears in his eyes. "And I can assure you that these past three years have been the best I've ever had, arguments and all." He chuckled. "So I'm looking forward to what's ahead of us, because I'm sure it'll be every bit as good as what we have now." Sergio moved closer, gazing into her eyes.

"I love you so much..." He murmured, touching her face gently. Her smile grew.

"I love you too." There were quiet sobs among the guests, who had never witnessed their friends being so affectionate with each other before.

Denver stared at Sergio, waiting for him to continue. He frowned when he didn't.

"That's it?" He said in a high-pitched voice. Raquel chuckled.

"Trust me. This is A LOT coming from him." Sergio smiled, turning her head to him as he leaned down for a kiss. She smiled against his lips, which he boldly pressed to hers as his arms encircled her waist. Raquel felt her knees go weak when he deepened the kiss, getting rid of his shyness. Tokyo, Bogota, and Manila cheered them on.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Denver quickly broke them apart. "I didn't say you could kiss yet." They laughed, licking their own lips at the same time. 

"What's next then?" Sergio asked. Denver checked his notes.

"The rings." He glanced at Monica. "Did we bring any rings?" The woman smiled awkwardly while she shook her head.

"Don't worry, we've got rings." Raquel waved her hand at Paula, who quickly approached her and handed her the rings she had been keeping in a small velvet bag. Sergio arched an eyebrow with curiosity, but asked nothing.

Looking into each other's eyes, they repeated after Denver as they slid each ring into each other's ring finger. 

"So, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you... husband and wife." Everybody stood up at once, clapping and whistling loudly. They shared a broad smile.

"You may now kiss the bride." Denver conceded with a grin of excitement. 

This time it was Raquel who surged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him hard. He didn't shy away, and gripped her hips as he pressed her against his body, kissing her back. Paula ran to hug them, and petals of different colors rained on and around them as they shared their most special kiss yet.

...

"Aren't presents supposed to be given at the end of the day?" Sergio asked, eying his friends with suspicion as they were being led to the front of the house. 

"Yeah, but we plan to get very drunk and we may forget if we leave it for later." Tokyo explained. 

They reached the front porch of the house and were asked to wait there as Helsinki disappeared around the corner. Raquel squeezed his hand, looking up at him with a smile of excitement.

"Bring out their wedding present!" Denver shouted out, and a few seconds later Helsinki reappeared driving a 70s looking camper van. Their jaws dropped.

"Is this for us?" Raquel asked surprised, dragging Sergio by the hand. Helsinki stopped the van and got out to open the side door for them. 

"Yeah, we all pitched in. We knew you wouldn't be able to afford it any other way." Everybody laughed at Alicia's joke.

"It's gorgeous!" Raquel exclaimed, letting go of Sergio's hand to explore its interior. He followed her inside. It was big enough for a family. After some moments of pure amazement, they returned outside to thank their friends for the incredible gift. 

...

After a while, everybody moved to a canopy their friends had set up further down the beach to carry on with the celebration. There were tables full of delicious dishes and all sort of exotic beverages, and music was blasting from two big speakers. For hours they ate, and drank, and laughed, and made jokes about the newlyweds. And they danced tirelessly. Even Sergio, who couldn't find it in himself to decline his now mother-in-law's several requests to dance.

"Hey! Somebody up for a swim?" Tokyo asked, stripping down to her underwear before running towards the water. Denver, Monica, Manila, Helsinki and Bogotá followed after. They dived into the water fully clothed, except for Helsinki, who jumped into the water butt naked. Paula and Cincinnati, who were building a sand castle by the shore, quickly joined the adults.

Sergio chuckled as he watched them splash each other from his seat. He was thankful Julia had fallen asleep on his arms, otherwise he would have been dragged to the water as well, that he was sure of. He looked over his shoulder when he spotted Raquel from the corner of his eyes. She was returning from accompanying her mother inside the house to rest. 

"Hey, where is...?" She trailed off when she spotted them in the water. "Never mind." She chuckled, watching them for a few seconds. Then she lowered the volume of the music and approached Sergio. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she leaned down to lay a gentle kiss on their daughter's head. 

"Shall I take her to her crib?" She asked in a whisper, meeting his eyes. Sergio shook his head.

"No. She is the only shield protecting me from those guys." Raquel laughed softly and sat on his lap, carefully wrapping an arm around his torso, since their baby had her right cheek resting on his left shoulder. 

Raquel glanced around and realized it was the first time they were completely alone since early morning, given that Alicia and Marsella had also gone for a walk with their kid, sick of the loud music.

"Have I told you how handsome you look in that suit?" She murmured, raising an eyebrow as she undid the top buttons of his shirt. He looked down briefly.

"Then why are you trying to get me naked?" He asked through a smirk. She bit her lip as she slid a hand inside the opening of his shirt to stroke his chest.

"Because I can't wait to get my husband naked and have him writhing under me." She murmured in the most sensual way. He gulped, suddenly aroused. 

"That's... a plan." Raquel smiled and nodded, undoing the rest of the buttons on his shirt. "It's gonna be difficult with all these people in the house, though..." She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes.

"We'll find a way." 

He gulped again and closed his eyes when she buried her face on his neck, planting soft kisses on his skin as she lowered her hand to his abdomen. He breathed in, having a strong desire to feel her touch on other parts of his body too. The muscles of his stomach contracted each time her fingers brushed his lower belly.

"Raquel, I... really like what you're doing but... I'm still holding our daughter here." Raquel threw her head back, laughing, and reluctantly sat up. She removed her hand from his torso, lifting it to his beard. 

"So... How are you feeling? Being married and all?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. He smiled, tilting his head.

"Pretty good." He murmured, raising his chin, silently requesting a kiss. He caressed her back as their lips met in a slow dance. But then a thought entered his mind, and he slowly pulled back. "By the way..., you know I feel the same way about you, right?" Raquel frowned, a bit confused. "About what you said during the vows, I mean." She gave him a soft smile.

“I know.” She whispered, stroking the nape of his neck. He looked into her eyes, feeling the need to express his gratitude as well.

“You also changed my life for the better, Raquel. In so many ways. Everything is so much better because of you.” She bit her lip, moved. He was going to add something else when her lips crashed against his, kissing him deeply. Sergio chuckled, pulling away. “You didn’t let me finish.” 

“Because you’re gonna make me cry and I don’t want to right now.” He smiled.

“Alright... I’ll save my speech for another time then.” He murmured, pressing her back to kiss her again. Raquel moaned softly, her desire growing with every brush of his lips. 

After a few seconds she pulled away and glanced at their friends, who didn't seem to be in a rush to get out of the water. 

She turned to Sergio, clearing her throat.

"How about we have a little party of our own in our new camper van?" She suggested, arching an eyebrow. Sergio narrowed his eyes, tempted.

"That sounds like a party I would very much like to attend.” She winked her eye and stood up, grabbing his hand.

“Then follow me... hubby.”

THE END


End file.
